I love to travel, but I wasn’t sure a museum was what I had in mind for a family trip. My mom found a place in Georgia that recreated moments from biblical history, and the experience helped me see the historical setting of the Bible in a way I never had before. It obviously wasn’t the same as going to Israel or Rome, but it helped you picture what you are reading. Although I was a little apprehensive before the trip, it gave me a perspective that has stuck with me ever since

You know what we can do? We can humiliate em’!—and that thought flashed through my mind. Do unto others, right…he tried to humiliate me, so maybe he wants the same in return. (fleshly temptation) Yesterday, someone left a comment on my confession video about me misusing Scripture to prove my point. Basically, the comment said, “Be careful, you never want to misquote your myth.” I didn’t ask the guy, but I figure he was trying to humiliate me by calling the Bible a myth. It di

In Luke 14, Jesus doesn't use "marketing speak" to grow His following. He does the opposite. He talks about "hating" your own life, carrying a cross, and giving up every possession. The heading for this section in my Bible actually says, “Discipleship Tested.” Jesus uses the examples of a builder and a king to make one point: Don’t start what you aren’t willing to finish. Following Jesus isn't a hobby or a weekend addition to our lives. It’s a total renovation. He wants more

Sometimes God asks you to trust Him right when you feel the need for most control. In Gospel of Luke 12, Jesus points at a bird. No storehouse. No 401k. No "Plan B." Just creations of a Father who knows they’re hungry. Then He asks the question that stops us in our tracks: "Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Translation: "You are exhausting yourself over things you have zero control over." Adding one hour to your life is an impossible miracle to you.

You can sit in church and still miss Jesus. In Luke 6, the Pharisees were in the synagogue or “church”. Scripture open.
 Attendance checked.
 Position secured. And a man with a withered hand walks in. Jesus calls him forward. Before healing him, He asks: “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?” Silence. Not because they didn’t know the answer. Because they were hoping He wouldn’t. Jesus says, “Stretch out your hand.” And instantly — it’s restored. 
No praise.
No celebration.

Sometimes Jesus asks you to do something right when you’re at your lowest. In Gospel of Luke 5, Peter had fished all night. No bites. No money. No progress. Just wet nets and sore muscles. They were cleaning up. Clocking out. Thinking about bed. And that’s when Jesus said, “Push back out.” Not tomorrow. Not after rest. Now. Peter even says it out loud: “Lord, we worked hard all night and caught nothing…” Translation: “We already tried that.” But then comes the turning point:

Y’all look plum mad most of the time. I don’t think you mean to. When I look like that, I’m usually just thinking. Y’all probably are too. I’ve said it before — I want to preach like Jesus did. I imagine the amens rolling. The that’s rights shaking the walls. The house full to the brim with folks hungry for truth. But I need to be careful what I ask for. Gospel of Luke 4:28–30 caught me off guard. Jesus preaches the truth — straight and clean. They hear it. They hate it. And

Confidence Has Ruined More Christians Than Weakness Ever Has... Most people don’t fall because they’re powerless. They fall because they feel untouchable. When God has blessed us…when we’re spiritually strong…when nothing has blown up yet…we start believing we can stand closer to the fire than everyone else. In Judges 16:4–9, Delilah already has Samson’s number. She keeps asking where his strength comes from. The Philistines are hiding in the next room. He lies. She tests him

Full disclosure: I am hard-headed. Been that way so long I can’t remember when it started. No, I ain’t proud of it. I’ve asked the Lord to sand that edge off more times than I can count. But like Paul and that thorn, it’s still there. So I fight it daily. What can motivate a man to be less hard-headed? Maybe this: In Ecclesiastes 4:13 it says, “A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.” That’ll preach. The boy’s

Faithfulness is easy when life feels like sunny and 75. But Jesus Christ was jailed. Mocked. Beaten. Spit on. Crucified. And He told us plainly in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble.” Trouble is not a detour. It’s part of the road. What shakes me is this:
Even when Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” — He did not abandon obedience. He stayed on the cross. He stayed faithful. Let me ask you something that confronts me: If everyone around you

Some of you are stuck in the same cycle. You fall short.
You promise you’ll do better.
Then you fall again. You love Jesus — but you keep denying Him in your thoughts, your words, or your actions. And you’re tired of it. Peter knew that feeling. In Mark 14, Jesus tells His disciples that they will fall away. Peter boldly speaks up and insists he will never deny Christ. He is confident. Strong. Certain. But later that same night, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus invites Pete

Papa Hays was one of my heroes. I watched him drive nails into plywood like it was nothing— Pop, pop... pop. At six years old, I wanted in. He handed me the hammer. I swung with confidence. Missed. Swung again. Missed worse. After twenty tries, I had one bent nail barely hanging on for dear life. He just grinned… took the hammer back… and sank the nail deep—where it would hold when the storms came. That memory came rushing back when I read Ecclesiastes 12:11: “The words of wi

I’ve been stealing from God… You know the story in Mark 12:1–12. A man builds a vineyard from scratch. Fence. Tower. Winepress. Investment. Vision. Ownership. He leases it out. Harvest comes. He sends servants to collect what is rightfully his. They beat one. Bloody another. Kill another. Finally, he sends his son. They drag him outside the vineyard…and murder him. Every time I read that parable, I thought: How wicked can you be? But this morning something shifted. I saw my f

I have read the passage about the loaves and the fishes in Mark 6 more times than I can count. I love the story. However, I guess I never paid close attention to the end of that passage until this morning. You know the story--Jesus feeds the crowd of over 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and fish. After everyone finishes eating, Jesus instructs the disciples to go around with baskets and pick up the leftovers. I always admire how Jesus performs the miracle and assume H